Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Zesty Yovictoria.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Zesty Yovictoriaxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Yovictoria, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,799. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of the cultivar Yovictoria in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in April, 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since June, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Zesty Yovictoria has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Zesty Yovictoriaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Zesty Yovictoriaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Compact, upright and somewhat outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets.
5. Light red purple-colored ray florets.
6. Natural season flowering in late September in the Northern Hemisphere.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the parent, the cultivar Yovictoria, primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Yovictoria had lavender-colored ray florets. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered a couple of days later than plants of the cultivar Yovictoria when grown under natural season conditions.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Rosy Yovictoria, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application filed concurrently, primarily in ray floret coloration.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Zesty Megan, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,307. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Zesty Megan in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Zesty Megan.
2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum did not have disc florets whereas inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Zesty Megan had disc florets.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered a couple days earlier than plants of the cultivar Zesty Megan when grown under natural season conditions.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Lovebird, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,301. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Lovebird in the following characteristics:
1. Plant growth habit of plants of the new Chrysanthemum was more uniform than plant growth habit of plants of the cultivar Lovebird.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plants of the cultivar Lovebird.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Lovebird.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had slightly lighter colored ray florets than plants of the cultivar Lovebird.
5. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum did not fade as readily as ray florets of plants of the cultivar Lovebird.
6. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about five days earlier than plants of the cultivar Lovebird when grown under natural season conditions.